After a welcome break from moving around lots over the last couple of weeks, it was time to get back on the road. We got the 6:30am Viana bus (365L, 3 hrs) to San Pedro Sula. We were given the first class fluffy blankets and I slept the whole way. We put Hannah in a taxi to the airport and waved a sad farewell :(

Then we got the 10:20am Hedman Alas bus (395L, 3 hrs) to Copan near the border of Guatemala. This is supposed to be the best bus company in Honduras but it was freezing with no blankets, the tv broke and the snack was a pitifully small bag of crisps. Viana was much better, but they don't go to Copan unfortunately. The bus man took a shine to Anna and kept hovering creepily each time he came by.

On arrival in Copan we were squeezed into a tuktuk for 20L each with another lady and all our bags for the short ride to Hostel Marjenny ($30). We had a brief rest whilst we waited for the rain to stop, Anna had a coffee, and then we went for a wander around Copan. Copan is a pretty, little town with big, coloured cobblestone roads. Surprisingly we didn't see many other tourists but this seems to be the general rule for most of our travels.

We went back to the room and read for a while before going to British Colonial House for dinner (391L). I had Thai red tofu curry which was delicious and had tons of much needed veggies after the last few nights of stodge. Anna had peanut noodles, which seemed to be lacking any peanuts! When she was about half-way through the mayonnaise noodles, the owner came out with a dish of peanut butter and said he'd just tasted the sauce and realised it was lacking something! It still didn't taste that great once Anna mixed in the PB. He apologised again when we left and said his head chef was in Roatan training new staff.

We went back to the room and had cold showers (not much fun when the ambient temperature is low - I wore my jumper to dinner). Then we were plunged into darkness when the power cut out about 9pm - presumably for the whole town. Wifi was out as well so after reading a bit by torch light I went to sleep and had a lovely 10 hours sleep. It was raining really heavily every time I woke up.Read more

The breakfast was fried plantain and baleadas which were too big to finish. We tried the two ATMs in town but both were Visa-only so we couldn't get any money out. Luckily we have some dollars left.

We walked the 1km to the main Copan ruins and were able to pay the $15 entry fee by credit card. On entering the complex, we were deafened by the squawks of scarlet macaws, the national bird of Honduras - there were loads of red, blue and yellow coloured birds in the trees above us. Sadly we'd only bought Anna's phone so couldn't get a decent photo. We also saw a ‘guinea pig on stilts’, first named during our trip to Mexico a few years ago.

We wandered around the ruins for about 3 hours. They aren't as impressive as Chichen Itza but they do have the advantage that you are allowed to climb on them. They date back to the Mayan period when rulers were called things like 18 Rabbit and Moon Jaguar. Some of the ruins, such as the big stairway, are covered by a huge tarp to protect it from weathering. Apart from a school group which we kept our distance from, there were only a handful of tourists around. The majority of the time we seemed to have the place to ourselves giving the place a lovely, tranquil feel. It was a drizzly day and we had our ponchos and umbrellas out for most of it. Neither of us had thought to put on bug spray and we both got thoroughly munched :( We saw some tiny toads and a squirrel plus some bright yellow birds - maybe Quetzals?

When we thought we had seen everything we headed back to the entrance and headed down a side road looking for guinea pigs on stilts. A lady told us to follow her and led us to an info display and a whole load of more ruins! The place could really do with some signposts and maps!!

On our return to the main entrance we noticed a couple of the macaws were on the feeding troughs (they run a breeding program). We tiptoed over in the hope we might get a closer photo. They didn't seem to mind us getting right up to them as they munched happily on their fruit - until Anna took her hood down for a selfie and they took flight. A few of them did fly-bys right over our heads which was pretty awesome.

We left the park and looked for a few trails that were on the big map. A lady told us they were muddy and said we could see some other ruins as part of our ticket. We walked a further mile away from town (along the yellow brick road) and came to Las Sepulchras. We walked through the woods and came across some more ruins - smaller, residential areas for the commoners. We were the only ones there, until 3 machete-laden men joined the path behind us! Luckily they were just finishing work and not trying to rob us. One of the sites near the entrance was being excavated and we couldn't go in. A man came and told us very proudly he was in the National Geographic for the 5 year project.

We walked back, exhausted from a day's wandering. We had some nachos in the hostel bar and then washed off all the mud in the shower which was hot today :)

After a rest, and once the rain had died down, we went on one of Anna's quests to find a bar...after 10 minutes of searching we found it - one door up from our hostel! Sol De Copan is a German microbrewery so Anna was in heaven. We seemed to have found the local gringo hangout as a huge group of Americans was there plus some other tourists. We didn't fancy the German stodgy-sounding food and so shared some baleadas and great chips. I beat the drunkard at chess 3 times and then we headed back.

Some Hondurans had arrived for the weekend and were playing music really loudly, jumping in the pool and generally making a huge racket. Thankfully by midnight they had quietened down mostly so Anna didn't have to go stomping out and shout at them.Read more

Th, 03.08. Santa Ana, SV-Border Crossing- Copán Ruinas, HN
As I was still doing the Ruta de las Flores in Santa Ana on Thursday and the shuttle only left late in the afternoon I spontaneously decided after a usual price calculation to take a shuttle to Copán (after the scenic one in Costa Rica my only second one). $25 first seemed to be quite a lot but the chicken buses would also already have cost me $15 plus I would have needed another night in Santa Ana as I would have had to start early in the morning - so moneywise it was about the same but the bus was for sure more comfortable and with roughly 5h also a lot quicker with 2 border crossings in total (the route was via Guatemala). Via Metapan we went to the border Anguiatu/La Ermita to Guatemala (there was again no stamp for El Salvador) and then to the border post of El Florido to Honduras. El Salvador and Guatemala were both without fees, Honduras charged again a $3 entrance fee.

Welcome to Honduras! :)
As one of the most interesting, inspiring and untouched countries in Central America this country unfortunately also counts amongst the most dangerous ones with the highest crime rate - it is the second poorest country after Nicaragua, with more than half of the population living below the poverty line and San Pedro de Sula in the North-West has only been classified as the most violent city in the world for the 3rd time in a row in 2015 - unfortunately you can't expect a lot of help from the police either. Both locals as well as guide books warn of taking buses which are frequently attacked especially in and around San Pedro Sula and the capital so that there are also soldiers in many buses - they advise to always take taxis to and from the terminals and not to use buses after dark - a big problem as you rely on them as a backpacker. The political and economical situation is unstable and the country faces constant violence of the drug gangs ('maras'). The capital is Tegucigalpa, currency Hondurian Lempira.
As I am not interesting in diving (the Caribbean Bay Islands with Utila and Roatán are super for that and also really cheap) and also have to literally dance on a wedding in around 4 weeks' time ;) I thus decided to only visit the famous ruins of Copán and to eat myself 2-3 days through Honduras' specialities :P
The day is best started with 'Licuado', a type of fruit smoothie often served with bananas and cereals and thus quite filling. Similar to all other countries lunch is again the better and cheaper option, especially in the comedores with rice, beans, tortilla and meat. The most popular street snacks (and due to its similarity to Pupusas quite nice) are 'Baleadas' - white-flour tortillas filled with beans, cheese and cream (or any other type you can possibly think of) but the best version is with avocado. Apart from that there are more rice-free specialities such as 'anafre' (cheese, beans or meat or everything together fondue), 'tapado' (vegetable stew often served with meat or fish), 'guisado' (spicy chicken stew), 'sopa de caracol' (slug stew with coconut milk, spices, potatoes and vegetables).
The population is again quite Catholic and conservative, children usually stay close to their parents; though many of them move to the USA and send money back home nowadays. Hondurians are super friendly and in general quite happy about people willing to visit their country and enjoy telling where they are from. 80-90% are Ladino, a mixture of Spanish and Indigo with the rest being Indian minorities such as Maya Chorti in Copán.

Copán Ruinas itself is a cute town with cobblestone streets, red-tiled roofs surrounded by green hills and is of course especially known for its proximity to the famous Copán Ruins. Despite all it is still untouched, quiet relaxing and apart from the main square with its church and archaelogical museum also offers many interesting hikes and a bird park in its surroundings.
In spite of the shuttle we only arrived super late around 6:30pm and my first question about typical food immediately brought me to a local restaurant 'Buenas Baleadas' where I enjoyed the most typical dish here: Baleada sencilla - white-flour Tortilla filled with beans, cheese and cream; delicious but heavy and I definitively prefer the corn pupusas ;) I also had again a local experience with an elder Hondurian offering me parts of his typical food of tortillas, rice, beans, cheese and fried plaintains as well as telling me a lot about the country and its people ;)

Fr, 04.08. Ruinas de Copán
I directly went to the very popular but a bit remote Copán Ruins the next morning which are a World Heritage Site and the 2nd most visited destination in Honduras after the Bay Islands. They are surrounded by nice green hills and jungle mountains a 20min walk outside from Copán Town and were built between 250-900 AD, the Mayas main time with the highest urban density. It is one of the most interesting Maya sites - not in terms of size (Tikal in Guatemala and Chichén Itzá in Mexico are a lot bigger and more impressive) but rather due to its incredible artscraft having survived several centuries. It was once the most important city state of the Southern Maya world and also a lot bigger and more impressive than expected.
To avoid the crowds, school classes and heat I started again quite early and was typical German with being at 8am as the first visitor in front of the gate - but thus was rewarded with cooler weather, shade and above all ruins without people :) I took my time and needed around 5h to see Plaza Central & Gran Plaza, El Juego de Pelota, La Escalinata Jeroglífica, Temple 11, Acrópolis, Popol-Na as well as East & West Court. I liked La Escalinata Jeroglífica the most, it is the longest inscripted staircase not only in the Mayan but in the whole world and the reason for the site having been added to the World Heritage. Only the first 15 steps are original, the rest (I counted 45 more) are stone repiclas. Based on the difficult language with 2 dialects and 800-1000 characters only the first 15 stairs have been translated. They are heavily protected, since the 70s the public is not allowed to walk on them anymore and a big canvas is used to protect it against weather such as sun and rain - btw, I got all this info for free by using my Spanish skills listening to all the teachers of the many school classes :P
However, the best surprise were the many red and super noisy scarlet macaws, Honduras' national bird and together with the Quetzal very important in the Maya culture. They can be found in many Mayan pictures, stones and signs, the feathers of this sacred bird orned the hair of the wealthy people, were used as currency and represented with its many colours the God of the Sky between heaven and earth. Macaws stick to their partner for their whole life and can especially be found in the tropical forests from the South of Mexico until the Amazonas in South America.
After that I still discovered a Nature Trail - a welcoming 30min hike following the Maya, super calm through forest with many butterflies and birds. Cacao represented the drink of the Gods in Mayan culture and was traded for jade, sea shells as well as Quetzal feathers. The famous Ceiba tree is a symbol for the tree of life - the roots go all the way to the underworld, the trunk represents the current world and the brenches stretch all the way to heaven.
I then still read all the information and had a look at the handicrafts before enjoying super good delicious typical food amongst locals at some street stands. I had a Baleada with avocado for only L15 (55€ct) as well as Enchiladas, toasted corn tortillas with chicken, salad and cheese for only L10 (36€ct) - super yummy and I was taught by the locals how to properly eat them ;)
Well filled up I then went to Las Selpturas around 1:30pm, over 100 buildings and 200 tombs incl priests and shaman 1.5km further East of Copán and with another nature or river trail along Río Copán also nice and shady.
Back in town I went to the market, walked around the cobblestone streets and then only relaxed in the hammock after a super exhausting, a lot of stairs climbing but very interesting and nice day :)

So far I thought I would rush a bit now but there are always worse cases :P
On the shuttle I thus met 3 Norwegians visiting 8 countries in 4 weeks (!!!) from Colombia to Mexico; an American travelling from Copán to Antigua and from there immediately to Flores all the way up quite far in the north of the country (without visiting beautiful Antigua or doing sth there); but the absolute hit were a Dutch and British travelling around 10h with chicken buses from Santa Ana to Copán arriving around 5pm and already leaving around 7am the next morning to the Caribbean coast for another 10h - without even seeing the town and incredibly also skipping the main attraction of the ruins, totally crazy :P

Due to a lack in time and security issues Honduras was only a quick stop for me - the landscapes were beautiful, the ruins impressive, the people nice helpful and I prefer Pupusas instead of Baleadas :) Financially I was with 19,33€/d able to stay below my daily budget of 33€/d.Read more

We left early at 6:30am and there were no hot showers. We drove for a while before stopping for an omelette for breakfast. We crossed the border into Guatemala, then the boarder to Honduras. We arrived in Copan and headed straight to a coffee shop where there was finally a good coffee. For all the coffee that is produced here you'd expect some nice coffee, but it seems hard to find. I found a frozen chocolate coated banana again which made me very happy. We all then caught Tuk-Tuk's to a chocolate and tea shop where we had delicious hot chocolate with cacao nibs. They told us about their reforestation project using their native plants which have medicinal properties. We went out for happy hour drinks, dinner of beef fajitas and then onto the pub for some Karaoke.Read more

I went for an early breakfast at the yummy coffee shop. We then went to the Copan Ruins. The Mayans lived there from 1,500 BC to 1,200AD, the end of their civilization. The golden time was 400-800 AD. The Mayans destroyed all the forests, so ended up with no food or water. Mayans had a culture of incest and polygamy. We saw a few cool trees including the saber tree or Tree of life which was the Avatar tree. Also saw the Maraca tree and Strangling fig tree. After looking around I had a yummy ice coffee and frozen banana with nuts. Most of us then traveled for an hour to the thermal springs. There were a range of hot pools with quite hot temperatures. One of them had a cave that was really hot to run into. We had dinner there before traveling back.Read more